Earlier this week I put the call out to all Breezy Mama readers–do you have an easy, never fail, Go-To recipe you’d love to share? Well, turns out Breezy Mama Michelle Z. did–and here it is. She says, “This is one of my family’s favorite easy recipes. Plus it makes enough so you have leftovers – we usually eat this for a couple of nights and then freeze the rest for a quick and easy dinner on one of those nights we are really pressed for time. We love this meat for tacos, tostadas, enchiladas, BBQ beef sandwiches. Hope you enjoy it too!”
From Michelle:
Ingredients:
- 1 chuck roast (4 to 5 pounds) – or as much as you can fit in your crockpot Read More…
Last summer, you may remember that I gave you Cam and Jen’s Summer Tomato recipe–a great way to use up all the tomatoes you (may) have growing in your garden. This summer, the tomatoes in my garden just started coming in, and I used the first batch in this gem of a recipe. Originally in a old Sunset cookbook, the recipe called for cherry tomatoes, but I adapted it to work with ANY kind of tomato (just call me crazy). I recently made it for a summer BBQ, and exclamations of delight kept being heard–the onions did not have their “bite!” So, although it may seem like the recipe requires a lot of onion, don’t be afraid. –Alex
Makes 6 – 8 servings Read More…
The only thing that makes this delicious recipe seem like it came from Weight Watchers is how easy it is to make. Originally published in their magazine, it has become our household’s Go To for a quick and inexpensive steak dinner.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup honey Read More…

This dish was so good, I had finished half of it before I realized I never took a picture for the post!
When I was in Boulder recently, my good friend Danica had us over for dinner. The plan was to head over to her community pool, go for a swim, and then have dinner “al fresco.” Unfortunately, when you’re dealing with a total of six kids and the afternoon is quickly slipping into evening (translation–crankiness hits) that was much easier said than done. Poor Danica, who is nine months pregnant, made this entire fabulous meal, brought it all to the pool, only to have to schlep it back to the house without it being eaten. After we got home, and things calmed down, she finally had the chance to bust it out. Her own adaption of an epicurious recipe, my goodness was it delicious. And the whole point of me telling you the story in it’s entirely? This meal is easy to do and is very portable. Enjoy! –Alex
Serves 6
Ingredients: Read More…
My friend Erica is a fabulous cook. She excels at everything that has to do with food–baking, dinner, sandwiches, a mean cup a tea–you name it, she can cook it. So, when the kids and I went to visit her last week in Colorado, my mouth was salivating at the thought of what we’d be eating. And, as usual, she didn’t let me down. Immediately upon arrival, she whipped up this concoction. So yummy, and everyone (even the kiddos) gobbled it right up. Though this is called a “salad” it really can serve as a main dish.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups black beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups cooked quinoa Read More…
There’s a story that my mom likes to tell about my grandmother. My grandmother was famous for her made-from-scratch Angel Food cakes. She would painstakingly make one for any special occasion. One day, someone told her that she could make Angel Food cake from a box. So she tried it, and couldn’t stop laughing. Why? She couldn’t believe JUST HOW EASY it was. I made this Key Lime pie, which was featured in Real Simple, and felt the same way. So easy, and so delicious (this coming from someone who doesn’t normally like Key Lime pie), it’s my Go-To dessert for summer BBQ’s. –Alex
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk Read More…

I picked this beauty from my parent's garden last week. The pen is there for scale.
For those of you who have vegetable gardens, you may be well aware that summer bring gigantic zucchinis. From my experience, I go out to the garden, see some zucchini that are a few inches long, and then what I swear is only a few days pass, and I go out again to find that they are the size of small baseball bats. What to do with zucchini that big? They’re not as good as little zucchini to saute, so my answer is to make zucchini bread. My parents always grew zucchini, so it was my job to make the bread when they got to be too big to eat. Originally our neighbor’s, I have used this recipe for as long as I can remember–it’s written out in my “little kid” handwriting (yes, it’s that easy) and is covered in spots from being out so much. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. . . –Alex
Makes two loafs.
Ingredients: Read More…

This woman (aka, my mom) makes a mean chicken salad.
There are three sandwiches that my mom makes that are insane: chicken salad, tuna salad and egg salad. Three basics that you would think are relatively easy, but my mom adds a panache that make it stand out from the rest. And when she wants to get really fancy (say serve lunch to some girlfriends) she forgoes the bread and makes it an actual salad. This is her recipe for chicken salad. So very yummy, makes me want to go make it right now. –Alex
Serves 4 – 6, depending on how many of the suggested ingredients you add.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cubed chicken. Use a plump poached or steamed chicken breast. In a pinch canned chicken, drained, may be used. Read More…
Got that upcoming Memorial Day BBQ and have no idea what to bring? Try this recipe–a little bit salad, a little bit side dish and lots of deliciousness! Added plus–super easy to throw together for that last minute dinner. -Alex
Serves 6.
Ingredients:
- One 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained.
- 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
- 1 four ounce package of crumbled feta Read More…
Today’s Delish Dish comes from Sara Reddy Coyne, owner of the cooking blog, Culinerapy which was brought to our attention by Breezy Mama Marisa (thanks Marisa!). Sara describes this dish as, “. . . perfect for summer grilling, and great for busy moms. It’s also healthy and ridiculously delicious. These took me exactly 9 minutes to prepare, about twelve minutes on the grill, and dirtied only two bowls.” Well sign me up–sounds like my kind of meal–enjoy!
Adapted from Cooking Light
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For Burgers: